John Chrysostom, On "Having the same spirit"

and in toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, besides the external things. These are the marks of a true apostle. For many others also often performed signs, and gained nothing from the miracles, but after all those things they heard: Depart, I do not know you, you who work iniquity; but of those who are able to say these things, which Paul has now enumerated, no one will hear that voice; but with much boldness he will enter the heavens and will enjoy all the good things in the heavens. 7. Perhaps our discourse has become rather long; but do not fear; we have not forgotten our promise, but we shall presently return to it again. And we have not prolonged these things in vain, but wishing to make the proof undisputed and clearer through a more extensive preparation, and at the same time to comfort afflicted souls, so that each of those who are in temptations and dangers may depart having received sufficient consolation, learning that through his sufferings he becomes a partaker with Paul, or rather, with Christ, the Lord of angels; and partaking of His sufferings here, he will partake of His glory there; For if, it says, we suffer with Him, it is that we may also be glorified with Him; and again; If we endure, that we may also reign with Him. For it is absolutely necessary for the faithful to be afflicted. For all who wish to live godly in Christ will be persecuted; and again; Child, if you come to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for temp 51.296 tation, make it straight and persevere. Good are the promises from the beginning to fall into temptations; a great exhortation and a clear encouragement of service to taste of dangers immediately. Therefore it is very great and wonderful, and has the greatest profit. And what is this? Hear what follows; For just as gold is tested in the fire, so are acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. And what it says is this; Just as gold, being tested by fire, becomes purer, so also the soul, by associating with tribulations and dangers, comes forth brighter and more brilliant, and will cast off every stain of sins. Whence also Abraham said to the rich man, that Lazarus received his evil things, and here he is comforted. And Paul, writing to the Corinthians, wrote: For this reason many among you are weak and sick. For if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged; but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world. And for this very reason he handed over the one who had fornicated to the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved; showing that the present temptation works salvation, and that dangers are a very great purification of the soul for those who bear them with thanksgiving. That the faithful, therefore, were afflicted, and suffered countless terrible things, both disciples and teachers, and did not catch their breath even a little, being surrounded on all sides by various and all sorts of wars, the discourse has sufficiently demonstrated, and it is possible for the industrious to gather even more than what has been said from the divine Scriptures. 8. Let us now bring the discourse to the subject at hand. And what was the subject at hand to speak of? For what reason did Paul say, *Having the same Spirit of faith*. For what reason, then, did he say it? This troubled the disciples, that the terrible things were in experience, but the good things were in hope; and the former were present, but the latter were absent; and the former were happening, but the latter were hoped for. And what is surprising, if some suffered this then at the beginning of the preaching, when even now after so much time, after the preaching has been extended to every part of the world, after receiving so many proofs of the promises, there are many who suffer this? But not only did this disturb them, but also another thing no less than this. Which indeed

καὶ μόχθῳ, ἐν ἀγρυπνίαις πολλάκις, ἐν λιμῷ καὶ δίψει, ἐν ψύχει καὶ γυμνότητι, χωρὶς τῶν παρεκτός. Οὗτοι τῆς ἀκριβοῦς ἀποστολῆς οἱ χαρακτῆρες. Σημεῖα μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἕτεροι πολλοὶ πολλάκις ἐποίησαν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπώναντο τῶν θαυμάτων, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἤκουσαν· Ὑπάγετε, οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς, οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν· τῶν δὲ ταῦτα δυναμένων εἰπεῖν, ἅπερ ὁ Παῦλος ἀπηριθμήσατο νῦν, οὐδεὶς ἐκείνης ἀκούσεται τῆς φωνῆς· ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς παῤῥησίας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπιβήσεται καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσεται πάντων. ζʹ. Τάχα μακρότερος ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος ἐγένετο· ἀλλὰ μὴ δείσητε· οὐκ ἐπιλελήσμεθα τῆς ὑποσχέσεως, ἀλλ' αὐτίκα δὴ πρὸς αὐτὴν πάλιν ἐπανήξομεν. Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ οὐ μάτην ἐμηκύναμεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ πλείονος κατασκευῆς ἀναμφισβήτητον καὶ σαφέστερον βουλόμενοι ποιήσασθαι τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, ὁμοῦ δὲ τὰς θλιβομένας παρακαλέσαι ψυχὰς, ἵν' ἕκαστος τῶν ἐν πειρασμοῖς ὄντων καὶ κινδύνοις ἱκανὴν λαβὼν παραμυθίαν ἀπέλθῃ, μαθὼν ὅτι Παύλου κοινωνὸς διὰ τῶν παθημάτων γίνεται, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ· κοινωνῶν δὲ αὐτοῦ τῶν παθημάτων ἐνταῦθα κοινωνήσει τῆς δόξης ἐκεῖ· Εἴπερ γὰρ, φησὶ, συμπάσχομεν, ἵνα καὶ συνδοξασθῶμεν· καὶ πάλιν· Εἰ ὑπομένομεν, ἵνα καὶ συμβασιλεύσωμεν. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ τὸν πιστὸν θλίβεσθαι πάντως. Πάντες γὰρ οἱ θέλοντες ζῇν εὐσεβῶς ἐν Χριστῷ, διωχθήσονται· καὶ πάλιν· Τέκνον, εἰ προσέρχῃ δουλεύειν Κυρίῳ, ἑτοίμασον τὴν ψυχήν σου εἰς πει 51.296 ρασμὸν, εὔθυνον καὶ καρτέρησον. Καλαὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι ἐκ προοιμίων εἰς πειρασμοὺς ἐμπεσεῖν· μεγάλη προτροπὴ καὶ παράκλησις ἐναργὴς τῆς δουλείας κινδύνων εὐθέως ἀπογεύσασθαι. Μεγίστη οὖν καὶ θαυμασία, καὶ κέρδος ἔχουσα μέγιστον. Ποῖον δὲ τοῦτο; Ἄκουσον τῶν ἑξῆς· Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν πυρὶ δοκιμάζεται χρυσὸς, οὕτως ἄνθρωποι δεκτοὶ ἐν καμίνῳ ταπεινώσεως. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ὥσπερ τὸ χρυσίον τῷ πυρὶ βασανιζόμενον καθαρώτερον γίνεται, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ, θλίψεσιν ὁμιλοῦσα καὶ κινδύνοις, φαιδροτέρα καὶ λαμπροτέρα ἄνεισι, καὶ πᾶσαν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀποῤῥίψεται κηλῖδα. Ὅθεν καὶ πρὸς τὸν πλούσιον ἔλεγε ὁ Ἀβραὰμ, ὅτι Λάζαρος ἀπέλαβε τὰ κακὰ, καὶ ἐνταῦθα παρακαλεῖται. Καὶ Παῦλος Κορινθίοις ἐπιστέλλων ἔγραφε· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐν ὑμῖν πολλοὶ ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ἄῤῥωστοι. Εἰ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκρίνομεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐκρινόμεθα· κρινόμενοι δὲ ὑπὸ Κυρίου παιδευόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν. Καὶ τὸν πεπορνευκότα δὲ δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο παρέδωκεν εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκὸς, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ· δεικνὺς ὅτι σωτηρίαν ὁ παρὼν ἐργάζεται πειρασμὸς, καὶ οἱ κίνδυνοι τοῖς μετ' εὐχαριστίας αὐτοὺς φέρουσι, καθάρσιον ψυχῆς εἰσι μέγιστον. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἐθλίβοντο οἱ πιστοὶ, καὶ μυρία ἔπασχον δεινὰ καὶ μαθηταὶ καὶ διδάσκαλοι καὶ οὐδὲ μικρὸν ἀνέπνεον, ποικίλοις τισὶ καὶ παντοδαποῖς πάντοθεν περιεστοιχισμένοι πολέμοις, ἱκανῶς ὁ λόγος ἀπέδειξε, καὶ πλείω δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων τοῖς φιλοπόνοις ἔξεστιν ἀναλέξασθαι ἐκ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν. ηʹ. Λοιπὸν δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον τὸν λόγον ἀγάγωμεν. Τί δὲ τὸ προκείμενον ἦν εἰπεῖν; Τίνος ἕνεκεν εἶπεν ὁ Παῦλος, Ἔχοντες Πνεῦμα πίστεως τὸ αὐτό. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν εἶπεν; Ἐθορύβει τοῦτο τοὺς μαθητὰς, ὅτι τὰ μὲν δεινὰ ἐν πείρᾳ, τὰ δὲ χρηστὰ ἐν ἐλπίσι· καὶ τὰ μὲν παρῆν, τὰ δὲ ἀφειστήκει· καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐγίνετο, τὰ δὲ ἠλπίζετο. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ τότε ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ κηρύγματος τοῦτο ἔπασχόν τινες, ὅπου γε καὶ νῦν μετὰ τοσοῦτον χρόνον, μετὰ τὸ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκταθῆναι τὸ κήρυγμα, μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν ἀποδείξεις τοσαύτας τῶν ὑποσχέσεων, πολλοὶ οἱ τοῦτο πάσχοντές εἰσιν; Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον αὐτοὺς διετάραττεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον οὐκ ἔλαττον τούτου. Ποῖον δὴ